Chapter 71: Mei Terumi—You Fight Him!
However, after considering the vast gap in power between them and Hōzuki Mangetsu,
Her expression immediately fell.
She frowned and let out a sigh of despair.
"Tsukasa, I'm just saying—why don't we figure out how to escape instead?"
"Even if he truly is a madman bent on destroying everything, we're no match for him."
"The Hōzuki clan's secret techniques are practically invincible in this environment."
Tsukasa shook his head, his eyes narrowing slightly as he observed Hōzuki Mangetsu, who had already used Water Release healing techniques to mend his wounds.
The man's face was clearly seething with rage, his killing intent practically freezing the water's surface.
Yet no system notifications appeared before Tsukasa's eyes.
Considering the implications, Tsukasa's expression became somewhat peculiar. He patted Mei Terumi's shoulder and said,
"It's fine. I believe in you."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Mei Terumi asked, face flushing.
Is now really the time for such sentiments?
However, Tsukasa pointed at the demonic, ferocious-looking Hōzuki Mangetsu and said to Mei Terumi with complete sincerity:
"Mei Terumi—you fight him!"
Mei Terumi blinked, raised her head, and stared blankly at Tsukasa.
Did I mishear, or is this guy messing with me?
Me, fight Hōzuki Mangetsu?
How exactly am I supposed to do that?
Tsukasa took a deep breath and spoke gravely,
"Kirigakure isn't my home."
"I'm not in a position to solve your village's problems from your perspective."
"But I can tell you what needs to be done!"
Tsukasa's expression darkened as he continued in a solemn voice,
"Assassinate the Third Mizukage, overthrow the regime, and seize power!"
"That's just the first step!"
"After that, you must control the Daimyo. Remove and replace him if necessary, and stabilize the economy!"
"Next, wage strategic warfare and acquire resources! Direct conflicts outward, then suppress internal dissent with overwhelming force!"
"Conduct a complete restructuring! Build a nation that operates according to your vision!"
"If you can't even accomplish this, Kirigakure's current predicament will only perpetuate itself."
Tsukasa's clear voice rang out, and
A sudden silence fell across the hall.
Whether it was Mei Terumi, Hōzuki Mangetsu, or the five Hunter-nin maintaining the Water Release: Kirisame technique—
They all stared at Tsukasa in shock.
After hearing just the first statement, they'd dismissed Tsukasa's words as standard revolutionary rhetoric. After all, this was how power struggles among major nations had been conducted from the Warring States period to the present day.
The reform faction led by Yagura representing the will of all Kirigakure shinobi, and the elders representing the interests of the bloodline limit clans—
What they wanted to accomplish was essentially this.
But starting from the second statement, the meaning took a complete 180-degree turn.
Using shinobi power to control the Daimyo and manage the entire nation's economy—
This was an unthinkable practice for everyone living in the current shinobi world.
It was complete treason!
Shinobi, from their very inception, had been a profession that existed by accepting missions and completing commissions.
Could this group of people with exceptional martial abilities actually govern a nation?
Mei Terumi and Hōzuki Mangetsu couldn't help but contemplate this question.
The other five Hunter-nin's expressions changed drastically beneath their masks. The eldest among them immediately shouted at Hōzuki Mangetsu:
"Mangetsu, kill him!"
"Kill this treasonous lunatic!"
"If the Daimyo learns of this, it will bring catastrophe to Kirigakure!"
"Once you antagonize the Daimyo, this nation will immediately collapse, inviting the other four great nations to attack and carve up the Land of Water!"
"Don't even consider such madness!"
"Kill him now!"
However, Hōzuki Mangetsu remained motionless, merely frowning slightly as he looked up at Tsukasa.
Mei Terumi standing beside him also glanced over, eager to hear his reasoning.
The establishment of the one-nation-one-village system had its significance.
Just like the relationship between the Land of Fire and Konohagakure—Konoha was merely the largest armed organization within the Fire Nation,
But it wasn't the Fire Nation's only option. With sufficient funding, other non-Konoha shinobi clans, as well as ninja villages and clans from other nations, could readily serve the Land of Fire.
For example, in the future, Sunagakure betrayed Konoha and allied with Otogakure to attack because the Land of Wind frequently hired Konoha ninja, stealing Suna's missions.
The same principle applied to the Uchiha clan accepting a mission from the Land of Lightning's Daimyo to guard Hell Valley, alongside the Chinoike Clan.
Overthrowing a nation would trigger not only counterattacks from that nation's Daimyo, but also a terrifying coalition crusade from the entire shinobi world, driven by collective funding from all nations' Daimyo who felt threatened.
Therefore, a shinobi village staging an armed coup to seize control of a major nation was fundamentally unrealistic—the risks were enormous, with more disadvantages than advantages.
This was also the consensus among contemporary shinobi.
However, Tsukasa shook his head, looked at the Hunter-nin, and sneered:
"If you're referring to the four great nations of Wind, Fire, Earth, and Lightning—then you'd be correct!"
"But you're Kirigakure!"
"The Land of Water—isolated and surrounded by ocean on all sides!"
Everyone was stunned by this observation.
It seemed... there was some truth to what he said.
The Land of Water's geographical position, unlike other nations, made it easily defensible and difficult to assault.
Aside from a few key ports where terrain was relatively flat, a large portion of the main island consisted of towering mountain ranges.
If Kirigakure could hold several key docks and strategic positions,
Crossing the ocean to attack Kirigakure and partition the Land of Water's territory would be incredibly difficult.
Then,
Tsukasa looked at Mei Terumi seriously and said in a grave voice:
"I remember you once said you have goals you must accomplish for your homeland. You believe your village has a better path forward, and you think the existing system is fundamentally flawed!"
"Since you love your homeland so deeply—"
"Then act! At all costs, you must take the initiative!"
"It doesn't matter whether the future becomes a disaster or ruins!"
"Even if the person standing before you is a demon eager to overthrow Kirigakure and kill his master—he can become your strength!"
"Therefore, this is your battle!"
Tsukasa's eyes focused intensely, pointing at Hōzuki Mangetsu as he declared solemnly to Mei Terumi:
"From the night you challenged me, I knew you were determined to step onto the brightest stage in the shinobi world."
"Now, one of the most talented individuals in the entire shinobi world stands before us."
"To be honest, I'm not confident I can defeat him, and I can't even guarantee I can cover your escape!"
"Of course, I'll fight with everything I have and do my utmost to get you out of here."
With these words, Tsukasa's expression hardened.
He drew his ninja blade in a reverse grip, holding the handle with both hands. Without turning back, he declared,
"What you choose to do is entirely up to you."
"I believe in you."
He hadn't forgotten that Hōzuki Mangetsu possessed the legendary Seven Ninja Swords summoning scroll.
Simply summoning all seven legendary blades would allow him to instantly enter a second transformation state, not to mention potential third-stage enhancements.
The Super Death Battle Barrier couldn't contain such a Kage-level powerhouse,
And Tsukasa's entire arsenal—shuriken techniques, ninjutsu, taijutsu, kenjutsu, even forbidden techniques—proved ineffective against an opponent whose Hydrification Technique granted complete immunity to physical damage.
It was the despair of being utterly overwhelmed in every aspect.
But it didn't matter.
In this desperate situation,
Tsukasa still had his teammate.
End of Chapter 71
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